Christmas tree holder



Oct. 18, 1949. c; c 2,485,233

CHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER Filed July 31, 1946 INVENTQR. lea Cz/mcv,

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention pertains to the art of support stands and the like, and while certain of its features and the preferred form disclosed herein are .of particular interest in connection with the support of objects, .such as Christmas trees, an upright position, there are features are adaptable to and useful for the security and support of other types of object and objects disposed in horizontal and other positions.

One of the principal purposes of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive stand or support so constructed that it may beformed in large part, if not entirely, by stamping or similar methods from suitable sheet, bar or other base stock.

Another important purpose is to provide a stand or support of such construction that it may be applied quickly and easily and by inexperienced persons, to its uses as, for instance, the support and positioning of a Christmas tree.

Still another purpose resides in the provision of a simple and inexpensive interlocking or securing arrangement whereby the parts of the device may be secured in firm clamping engagement to the object to be held or supported, the arrangement also being such that a single stand or support may be adapted or adjusted to accommodate a substantial range of sizes of objects to be held or supported. In this connection it should be noted that a feature of the preferred form of the invention resides in an arrangement whereby the weight or pressure of the object being held or supported by the device, may serve to increase the clamping effects and bind the device and object the more firmly and securely together.

Many other objectives as well as the advantages and uses of the invention will be or should become apparent and well understood after reading the following description and claims and viewing the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric View of a preferred form of the invention illustrating its use for support of a Christmas tree or other object to be held in an upright position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the stand or support of Fig. 1 but drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device on the scale of and looking downwardly from the section line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of the device looking at the lefthand end of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, parts being broken .away, showing the device engaged with a tree of larger diameter.

The preferred embodiment of the invention.

comprises a two part stand, each part of which is .compiementary to the other so that when assembled in tree or other object clamping engagemen-t they are disposed in opposing relationship to one another and between them embrace and clamp the tree or other object to be held and supported. In Fig. .1 these two parts are generally designated A and vB. While, .in some cases, it may be desirable initially to make both parts alike by using the same set of cutting or blanking-out and forming dies (if these parts are to be made by such a process) thereafter modifying each to provide certain details of construction to adapt such part to its detail functions, it may be preferred to make each part or "standard? as such will be termed hereinafter, with its own set of cutting and forming dies so as to minimize subsequent operations for it may be desirable completely to make each of the standards in as nearly one piece as possible. As the description unfolds these points will become clearer.

Part or standard A comprises a substantially horizontal portion 2 from one end of which integrally formed legs 3 and 4 depend and from the other or opposite end of which project a pair of integrally formed arms 5 and 6. Intermediate of the arms 5 and 5 arises an upright I which is also integral with the previously described structure and which at its upper end terminates in a pair of integrally connected arms 8 and "9. The two :pairs of arms, 5 and 6, and 8 and 9 are spaced from one another by such distance as practice indicates will be desirable to give good support, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. If the gauge of metal used in construction of the standard is such that the transverse dimension of an arm is substantially greater than the gauge of the metal, it may be preferable to give each arm a twist, as indicated at H, in order to strengthen the same. While the arms may be spread into a Y-fork shape, it is preferred that they be curved into an arcuate shape, as shown, so as to fit snugly and at a plurality of places against a round or cylindrical object such as a tree trunk, but, obviously they may be formed into Various other shapes for special objects, as

will be appreciated.

Struck up from one side of portion 2 of part or standard A, but preferably made as a separate part to be riveted or welded to portion 2, is a portion 12 in the upper edge of which a plurality of teeth I3 are formed either during the blankingout operation or otherwise. Teeth 13 which provide a rack or latch keeper, are so formed as to incline away from the end of portion 2 to which the clamp arms are connected and toward that end to which the legs 3 and 4 are connected. The purpose of this latch keeper or rack tooth arrangement will appear hereinafter. The legs 3 and 4 will be spread a sumcient distance apart and from the clamping axis or axis of load as to provide stability for the object to be held or supported, as will be understood, and these portions, like the clamp arms, may be given one or more twists, as indicated at I4, to strengthen them.

Part or standard B is partly constructed after the manner of part A, having a substantially horizontal portion 22, a pair of depending legs 23, 24, a lower pair of arms 25, 26, an upright portion 21, and a second or upper pair of arms 28, 29, all integrally connected The same blanking and forming dies used in making part A may be used to make part B if non-similar portions, such as portion 12 of standard A, and certain portions of standard B to be described, are separately made and added by say, welding or riveting, or other provision is made for attachment of these dissimilar portions of the standards. Preferably formed as a separate element, as a stamping, and attached securely to standard B, iswhat may be termed a combined latch member or dog and butt support member generally designated C. Member C has a central or intermediate portion 3| which lies against the inside face of and is riveted to the upright portion 21 of standard B as by rivets 32, and an integral arm 33 which is ofiset laterally, as indicated at 34, and curved, as shown at 35, to its juncture with a latch or dog 36, Integral also with portion 3| and extending transversely thereof beneath and between the arms 25,

26 for a distance substantially equal to the length of one of such arms, is a tree butt engaging portion 31 adapted to receive the tree butt end and to furnish support for the tree or other object held.

The latch member or dog 36 is inclined to substantially the same angle as the angle of inclination of teeth l3 and may have its leading edge thinned or reduced on the face toward the object to be held for ease of engagement behind one of teeth [3 of the keeper or rack and to effect a wedging action therewith. Portion 22 of standard B may be drilled or punched to provide an opening for the reception of an electric plug socket 4| to which lead-in wires 42 of an electric cord are shown attached.

When an object such as a Christmas tree is to be clamped and supported, the two standards are placed upon opposite sides of the butt end portion of the trunk with the arms 5, 6, 8, 9 of the one against the trunk sides and substantially opposite the arms 25, 26, 28, 29, respectively, of the other similarly placed against the trunk, while the support portion 31 of standard B is disposed against the butt face of the tree. By pressing the two standards toward one another to compress their arms tightly against the tree trunk, the latch member or dog 36 may be engaged with and behind one of teeth [3 of the rack or latch keeper to secure the standards together and in position. The standards may be applied to the tree or other object while such object is lying prone or in some other position, as will be understood. When the tree or other object is disposed in the stand or holder in an upright position, the weight of such object tends to press down upon the butt engaging portion 31 and tends to cause the lower portionsof the standards to swing outwardly away from one another, to cause the upper portions of the standards and their clamp arms to press toward one another and the latch keeper or rack and dog locking or latching means to be ever more tightly engaged. Release of the weight of the object from the standards permits the legs of one to be moved toward the legs of the other for release of the dog from the ratchet tooth with which it was engaged.

Figures 3 and 5 also illustrate a range of adaptability of onesize of stand to tree trunks of different diameters. Of course, stands may be made in several sizes, that is, with legs and clamp arms of various spreads, to accommodate a large number of trunk diameters or transverse dimensions and shapes. With ordinary objects, such as tree trunks, the clamps will make clamping contact with the trunk along at least four lines of engagement.

Under certain conditions, and where it is not desired to use the same dies to make both standard A and standard B, the arms of one standard may be staggered vertically with respect to the arms of the other standard, that is to say, the heights of arms 5, 6 and 8, 9, standard A, may be at a greater or lesser vertical distance from the base or ground line than the respectively corresponding arms 25, 26 and 28, 29 of standard B. Or, if desired, the arms 5, 6 or 8, 9 of standard A may be higher or lower than the arms 25, 26 or 28, 29, respectively, of standard B, or, either pair of arms of one standard may be higher or lower than the corresponding pair of arms of the other standard, while the other pairs of arms are disposed at the same level.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the invention is susceptible of various modifications and variations without departing from its spirit and the scope'of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tree holder comprising, a pair of standards formed from sheet metal and the like and including a pair of integrally formed legs, each of said standards having a pair of vertically spaced arms extending in a generally horizontal direction, the top arm of each standard being integral with its standard, each arm of each standard being adapted to engage the trunk of a tree at a place substantially oppositeto the corresponding arm of the other standard, and interengageable latching means carried by said standards for interlockingly connecting said-standards in treetrunk clamping relationship.

2. A tree holder comprising, a pair of standards formed from sheet metal and the like and including a pair of integrally formed legs, each of said standards having a pair of vertically spaced arms extending in a generally horizontal direction, the top arm of each standard being integral with its standard, each arm of each standard being adapted to engage the trunk of a tree at a place substantially opposite to the corresponding arm of the other standard, means comprising a latch keeper and latch member carried by said standards for interlocking engagement to secure the arms of the standards in tree-trunk clamping engagement, and means carried by one of said standards for supporting engagement with the butt end of the tree-trunk.

3. A tree holder comprising, a pair of trunk clamping members adapted to be disposed in opposed relation to one another to clamp a tree therebetween, each of said members having,a plurality of integrally formed legs and a plurality of pairs of arms with the arm pairs spaced vertically from one another and the arms of each pair diverging at an angle less than a straight angle from one another whereby each member embraces and engages the tree trunk at a minimum of four places spaced longitudinally and circumferentially thereof, and cooperative latch and keeper means carried by said members and adapted to be interengaged to hold said arms in tight embrasure against a tree trunk.

4. A tree holder comprising a pair of standards adapted to be disposed in opposed tree-clamping relation to one another at opposite sides of a tree trunk, a plurality of pairs of arms attached to each standard with said pairs in vertically spaced relation to one another, the arms of each pair diverging outwardly from the standard at angles less than a straight angle for engagement with tree trunk in at least two spaced places at each of two elevations, interengaging dog and rack means for detachably interlocking said standards together in tree-clamping relationship, and means carried by one of said standards for supporting engagement with the bottom of the tree trunk.

5. A tree holder comprising, a pair of standards adapted to be disposed in opposed tree clamping relation to one another substantially at opposite sides of the trunk of a tree to be supported, each of said standards having an upper and an independent lower arm spaced from one another and each extending in a substantially horizontal direction, said upper arms being arranged to be disposed against relatively opposite sides of the tree trunk and said lower arms being similarly related when the standards are in normal tree-clamping position, interlocking means including a multi-toothed latch keeper and a cooperative latch dog carried by said standards for interengaging them when in normal treeclamping relation, and means carried by one of said standards and adapted to carry at least a portion of the weight of the tree for holding said interlocking means in interlocking engagement.

6. A tree holder of the character described in claim 5,'in which said latch dog is carried by an arm extending about the position to be occupied by a tree held in the holder, said dog being arranged for engagement with any of the multiple teeth of said ratchet member whereby to adjust the holder to a plurality of tree trunk sizes.

CHARLES CIMA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 280,851 Pannster July 10, 1883 848,850 Pissahl Apr. 2, 1907 1,117,158 Bernartz et a1. NOV. 17, 1914 1,151,745 Wagner Aug. 31, 1915 

